Girish Mahajan (Editor)

1973 North American Soccer League season

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Champions
  
Philadelphia Atoms

Longest unbeaten run
  
13, Philadelphia

Lowest attendance
  
1,100 (NY @ Montreal)

Champion
  
Philadelphia Atoms

Matches played
  
90

Premiers
  
Dallas Tornado

Highest attendance
  
21,700 (Dallas @ Phil)

Start date
  
1973

Goals scored
  
246

Top goalscorer
  
Warren Archibald Ilija Mitić (12 goals)

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1972 North American Soccer League season

Statistics of North American Soccer League in season 1973. This was the 6th season of the NASL.

Contents

Overview

Nine teams took part in the league with the Philadelphia Atoms winning the championship.

During the season, a team from Vera Cruz, Mexico, played each of the nine NASL clubs in exhibition games that counted in the league's final standings. The 1973 season would be the last season in which games from non-league clubs counted in league standings.

In a unique twist, the team with home field for the NASL Championship Game determined the date and time the game was to be played. When the Dallas Tornado won their semi-final, setting up the final with Philadelphia, they chose August 25 as the date of the game. They did this because the NASL loan agreements with players from the English First Division (the precursor to today's Premier League) expired before that date.

Because of this, Philadelphia's two leading scorers, Andy "The Flea" Provan and Jim Fryatt, were on their way back to England when the championship match was played on the 25th. Despite this, Philadelphia coach, Al Miller, put Bill Straub, a defender who had not played a minute for the club prior to the championship game, into the lineup at forward. The move paid off as Straub headed home the second goal in a 2-0 win with under five minutes remaining in the final.

Changes from the Previous Season

  • Philadelphia Atoms join the league
  • Atlanta is renamed Apollos
  • Miami is renamed Toros

    • Regular season

    W = Wins, L = Losses, T= Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, BP = Bonus Points, PTS= Total Points

    POINT SYSTEM
    6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 0 points for a loss, 1 bonus point for each goal scored up to three per game.

        -Premiers (most points).     -Other playoff teams.

    NASL Final 1973

    1973 NASL Champions: Philadelphia Atoms

    Post season awards

  • Most Valuable Player: Warren Archibald, Miami
  • Coach of the year: Al Miller, Philadelphia
  • Rookie of the year: Kyle Rote, Jr., Dallas

    • References

    1973 North American Soccer League season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA